Computing devices have become commonplace in almost every environment. For example, mobile telephones, laptop computers, and tablet computers are commonly used for work and pleasure, and accompany people in many daily activities. Further, people often travel with computers and mobile phones, bring these devices to school, and use these devices in public places. These electronic devices wirelessly communicate with a communications infrastructure to enable the consumption of digital media items, such as documents, images, music, and videos. Typically, a communications infrastructure specifies transmission power levels for the electronic devices to use when transmitting data to the communications infrastructure, rather than having the electronic devices make their own determinations regarding what transmission power levels to use.
Some bodies of research suggest that radiation absorption by the human body is undesirable and should be minimized when possible. For example, electronic devices may throttle a transmission power of a transceiver during wireless transmission of data in some situations. The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) specifies a specific absorption rate (SAR) of maximum radiation exposure allowed from electronic devices that operate in contact with a human body or very near a human body. Electronic devices must meet the FCC specifications while ideally allowing for the maximum transmission power level to be used when outside of the FCC threshold zones near human bodies.